Dental amalgam package



Jan. 9, 1962 H. BORSUK DENTAL AMALGAM PACKAGE Filed July 1, 1959 Harold Borsuk 1 N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,016,134 DENTAL AMALGAM PACKAGE Harold Borsuk, P.0. Box .968, Pittsburg, Calif. Filed July 1, 1959, Ser. No. 824,424 Claims. (Cl. 206-47) The present invention generally relates to a dental device and, more particularly, a dental amalgam package for use by dentists when providing dental amalgam restorations.

Heretofore, it has been necessary for the dentist when making such a restoration to accurately measure the proper proportions of mercury and alloy with a relatively inaccurate measuring device and which required considerable time. Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a package which may be considered a dental amalgam package which includes the dental alloy filings formed in the manner of a rigid or substantially rigid hollow crust, the hollowed area filled or partially filled with mercury, the quantities of mercury and the compressed dental alloy filings, or their relative proportions varying according to each dental amalgam package manufacturers specifications, thereby supplying to the dentist a complete package which may be in the nature of a pill consisting of alloy and mercury which enables savings in shipping, packaging and handling of the alloy and mercury which are normally handled separately.

In the construction of the invention, the crust of the package is of powdered dental alloy in the form of filings which the dentist mixes with mercury to form a filling. This crust must be hard enough to maintain its shape ,so as to contain mercury during its packaging and shipping, but it must not be so hard as to resist thorough amalgamation when used by the dentist.

The shape of the hollow crust of compressed dental alloy filings may vary according to the shape desired by the manufacturers to facilitate the use of the exact and proper proportions of alloy to mercury and to give each manufacturer a distinctive shape to the hollow crust that will be characteristic of their product, with the proportions of the alloy and mercury being readily determined.

By employing the present invention, the dentist will no longer have to depend upon inadequate measuring devices to obtain the proper proportions of alloy and mercury, since the proper proportions of the alloy and mercury will always be exactly presented to the dentist by the specifications provided by the manufacturer. This results in a considerable saving of time and elfort to the dentist by eliminating the procedure of measuring the proper amounts of alloy and mercury and will also provide better dental amalgam restorations due to the exact proportioning of the alloy and mercury. With the mercury enclosed within an airtight shell of compressed dental alloy filings, the dentist may be assured that pure mercury is being used and that his loss of mercury due to oxidation is at an extreme minimum and is drastically reduced.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a generally spherical member illustrating one of the shaped pills supplied to the dentist;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating the amalgamation of the alloy and mercury.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the package of the present invenice tion, which includes a hollow crust or shell 12 which is illustrated as being spherical in shape and provided with a hollow interior 14 filled with mercury 16. The crust or shell 12 is of alloy and the mercury 16 may fill or only partially fill the hollow interior, with the proportion of mercury and alloy being such that when the entire package is amalgamated, such as is illustrated in FIGURE 3, the proper relationship of the ingredients is maintained. Also, the shape of the shell or crust 12 may vary to any desired shape rather than the spherical shape as shown which may facilitate'the packaging and'storing of the packages and may enable the manufacturer to provide a product characteristic so that the consumer or dentist will associate a particular shape of package with the particular manufacturer.

When a dental amalgam restoration is to be undertaken, the package including the crust 12'and the mercury 16 is placed in the bowl-shaped recess 18 of a suitable container 2t) and is thoroughly mixed or amalgamated by the dentist by a suitable instrument 22. Thus, the restoration will have the proper relationship of alloy to mercury and it will not be necessary to mix a great deal of excessive alloy and mercury and subsequently discard it, since the package of the present invention provides a precise method of determining the quantities of mercury and alloy needed for each dental filling, thereby reducing the amount of waste.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction-and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A dental amalgam package comprising a hollow shell of dental alloy filings, and a quantity of mercury received and retained within the shell in airtight relation, with the proportion of alloy and mercury being predetermined for amalgamation by the dentist when ready for use.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said alloy shell contains the mercury in airtight relation to prevent oxidation thereof, said shell being rigid for purposes of storage and shipment, but being readily amalgamated with the mercury.

3. The method of packaging dental alloy filings and mercury consisting of the steps of measuring a quantity of mercury, measuring a quantity of alloy, and enclosing the mercury within a hollow shell formed by the alloy to protect and retain the mercury so that the mercury and alloy may be readily mixed by the dentist.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a hollow, rigid shell of metallic alloy enclosing a quantity of mer cury, said shell being shape sustaining but readily mixed with the mercury for forming a dental amalgam.

5.. A dental amalgam package comprising a hollow shell of dental alloy filings, said shell having an internal volume proportionate to the quantity of filings whereby the shell is adapted to receive a quantity of mercury, with the proportion of alloy and mercury being predetermined for amalgamation by the dentist.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a hollow, rigid shell of metallic alloy enclosing a quantity of mercury, said shell being shape-sustaining but readily mixed with the mercury for forming a dental amalgam alloy restoration.

7. The method of forming a dental amalgam package comprising the steps of forming a rigid shell of alloy filings having a predetermined internal volume proportionate to the quantity of filings employed in the shell, and completely filling the internal volume of the shell with mercury thereby excluding oxygen from contact with the mercury, said shell being readily fiangible whereby the mercury contained within the shell and the shell may be amalgamated thereby forming a dental amalgam having the proper proportion of alloy filings and mercury.

8. A container for mercury for use in an amalgam comprising a readily frangible rigid shell constructed of alloy filings and capable of being intermingled with liquid mercury and forming an amalgam, said shell retaining its shape during normal handling and packaging thereof and including an internal volume enclosed by the shell proportionate to the quantity of alloy filings employed in forming the shell whereby the internal volume may be filled with mercury to exclude air therefrom and also to automatically measure the quantity of mercury so that the quantity of mercury will be proportionate to the quantity of alloy filings so that the mercury and alloy filings may be amalgamated without further measurement of either ingredient.

9. In combination with a quantity of liquid mercury, a rigid shell enclosing the mercury with the mercury completely filling the interior of the shell, said shell being shape sustaining and impervious to air to prevent oxidation of the mercury, said shell being constructed of frangible alloy filings of a quantity proportionate to the quantity of mercury enclosed thereby whereby the entire shell and mercury may be amalgamated for form ing a dental amalgam.

10. A dental amalgamassembly comprising'a quantity of liquid mercury, and a quantity of alloy filings, said quantities being proportioned to form a dental amalgam when intermingled, said alloy filings being formed in the shape of a container having an internal volume calibrated to be completely filled by the quantity of mercury thus preventing oxidation of the mercury when disposed in the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 235,480 Williams Dec. 14,, 1880 1,143,609 Bryner June 22, 1915 1,774,258 English Aug. 26, 1930 1,971,843 Alilaire Aug. 28, 1934 2,052,158 Zink Aug. 25, 1936 

8. A CONTAINER FOR MERCURY FOR USE IN AN AMALGAM COMPRISING A READILY FRANGIBLE RIGID SHELL CONSTRUCTED OF FORMING THE SHELL WHEREBY THE INTERNAL VOLUME MAY BE ALLOY FILINGS AND CAPABLE OF BEING INTERMINGLED WITH LIQUID MERCURY AND FORMING AN AMALGAM, SAID SHELL RETAINING ITS SHAPE DURING NORMAL HANDLING AND PACTAGING THEREOF SAID INCLUDING AN INTERNAL VOLUME ENCLOSED BY THE SHELL PROPORTIONATE TO THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY FILINGS EMPLOYED IN FILLED WITH MERCURY TO EXCLUDE AIR THEREFROM AND ALSO TO AUTOMATICALLY MEASURE THE QUANTITY OF MERCURY SO THAT THE QUANTITY OF MERCURY WILL BE PROPORTIONATE TO THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY FILINGS SO THAT THE MERCURY AND ALLOY 